Friday, March 25, 2016

What's so Good about Good Friday?

When they take the Man Who Came to Earth to Set Us Free from Death and put Him to death, why is that considered good?
Because when He died that horrific tortured death on Calvary, He took the punishment due us for our rebellion against God.

When He arose from the dead on Easter, He proved that what He said was true. He had been predicting these moments to His followers for a couple years and they did not believe Him.
Until He did it.

The Bible says, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 2:2).
So if Jesus came down from Glory, endured the cross, and went back to Glory, what was His net gain?
Us.
We were the joy set before Him.
We are the bride He travelled to a far land to obtain (like Jacob did, among other examples).
Granted we're not the finished product, yet, but if we cooperate with His plan, He sees something in us He wants to spend eternity with.
I'm good with that. That's good.

I want to share a cool thing with you.
If you're not a Christian, please read anyway, because it never hurts to have a little information about what those whackos around you believe.

A few people know that Psalm 22 is a description of the crucifixion of Jesus that was written hundreds of years before the event.
David saw it in a vision and it shakes him up so much that he starts out with:
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Many Christians have been taught that, as He was crucified, Jesus was crying this out out to His Father in heaven, because the Father could not bear to look on Jesus, our scapegoat.
That He was separated from the Father.
That Jesus was a curse (and the Father could not be in fellowship with Jesus because it would violate His holiness) because Jesus was carrying the penalty of the sins of the world.

Give me a break.

<< 1 Corinthians 12:3 >> Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed.
Jesus and the Father had this worked out since before the universe was created, and at the last minute The All-Powerful Ruler of More than the Universe flinches?
No.
If the Father and the Son (who with the Spirit are referred to as the "Godhead" in perfect unity) ever separated, I believe the universe would crumble.

As you read the gospels, particularly John's, you see that the Pharisees (some of them, like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, were good guys, by the way) were asking Jesus for a sign that he was the Messiah. He continually answered them that when they saw Him lifted up, that would be their sign.
Here He is, lifted up in front of them. He's surrounded by "strong bulls" (prison slang for guards), and the crowd is taunting Him. It's the scene predicted in Psalm 22 .
Then He quotes the first verse.
And they know the rest.
Can you imagine the look on their face when they get it?
This death on this cross by this man was predicted hundreds of years ago.
The ramifications are huge.
Do you get it?

A bit of an issue with, "He took the punishment due us for our rebellion against God."

Arguably, Adam and Eve eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was a rebellion against God.

I don't subscribe to the view that Eve's seduction by the serpent was a rebellion. I see it as the act of a naive child.

I also see Adam's eating of the apple as a case of being unwilling to live without Eve.

Of course, once they took on the knowledge of good and evil without the ability to unerringly discern between the two, they had to leave, as otherwise they would 'sooner or later' "eat of the Tree of Eternal Life and become as Gods, like us"...

Their children, which subsequently would be the entire human race did NOT rebel against God. But our 'spiritual DNA' contains that knowledge, again without being able to always choose the right, leading to 'the road to hell being paved with good intentions'.

I liken St Augustine's theory of "original sin" to a computer virus. The hardware is fine, it is our operating system that is corrupted. If so, our sin is unavoidable but through no fault of our own. Which is why, with the sincerest of intent and, even after having been 'born again', Christians still go forth and sin.

I subscribe to the view that Jesus came to show mankind the way out of our prison.

First off Geoffrey, I am surprised and honored that you stopped by, read, and commented here. Thank you.Second, I absolutely agree with your position.I used the word rebellion because it is a common description of the activity, and frankly, by disobeying God, they went "over to the dark side", they sold out to the person who WAS in direct rebellion to God, inadvertently chosing his side in the conflict.Also, it has been my position, a lonely one, that Adam could have taken the punishment for Eve, being yet sinless himself, and God could have resurrected him.If only he had thought to confer with God.But God was external to him, whereas He is internal to us (the "upgrade" to our operating system).I'm making it up as I go here, thank you.So it becomes a matter of will.So, as Paul says, Adam was not decieved.Adam chose sides.That would be the rebellion. And he didn't know, or ask, that there might be a different way out.I am not arguing with you.You are happily provoking me to think more about this.Have a blessed Resurrection Day.He is risen.

Ed,Your most welcome but thanks are not needed. I'm just a guy whose given some thought to weighty issues.

Re: "Also, it has been my position, a lonely one, that Adam could have taken the punishment for Eve, being yet sinless himself, and God could have resurrected him.If only he had thought to confer with God."

Interesting. I've never heard that thought ventured before and off the top of my head I can't think of any reason why it might not have been possible.